Living Without a Heart
by life-coveter
Summary: What if the ending everyone thought happened was not how things really went down?
1. Prologue

**Summary:** IRIS is the one thing you cannot destroy, and it is the one thing you cannot hide and escape from… _alive_. Or is it? What if the ending everyone thought happened was not how things really went down?

_**Timeline: The story takes place post-Season 1 of IRIS and most of Chapter 1 takes place during (more like un-seen scenes) Episode 20 – The Season Finale.**_

_**I'm going to make it clear that if you did not watch the entire series or you are not aware of which characters are still living and which characters already passed away, you will find it hard to understand what's going on in the story. Also, this fiction is written in a TV episode-like format. **_**:)**

This is my first attempt at writing a non-English TV Series and I'm the first to attempt writing for this drama here at . Please review my work and let me know how I'm going :) Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** IRIS is too awesome to belong to me so… although I wish Kim Hyun-Joon belonged to me – heh. Some 'lines' have been extracted from the drama and used here to add that K-Drama nostalgic effect.

**Spoilers:** If you haven't finished watching the entire Season of IRIS, what are you doing with your life! LOL (just kidding… but no, seriously!) This fiction contains spoilers – bits and pieces – from all twenty episodes.

------

**Prologue:**

_**A few weeks after Vick's death…**_

"Yes, Mr. Black," a deep voice answered.

"..."

"Yes, I understand. It will be done."

Immediately, the line went dead and the shadow of the man with the deep voice disappeared in the dark, along with the order that would, days later, bring forth insurmountable change in the lives of many.

Change that would bring forth pain, anger, questions...

Questions, which would, he hoped, never have to be answered.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary:** IRIS is the one thing you cannot destroy, and it is the one thing you cannot hide and escape from… _alive_. Or is it? What if the ending everyone thought happened was not how things really went down?

_**Timeline: The story takes place post-Season 1 of IRIS. Most of Chapter 1 takes place during (more like un-seen/alternative scenes) Episode 20 – The Season Finale.**_

_**I'm going to make it clear that if you did not watch the entire series or you are not aware of which characters are still living and which characters already passed away, you will find it hard to understand what's going on in the story. Also, this fiction is written in a TV episode-like format. **_**:)**

Please review my work since I'm the first to attempt writing for IRIS here at :) Enjoy!

I want to thank _**Sooji-ya**_, my Beta, for all her time and effort. Love you, girl!

**Disclaimer:** IRIS is too awesome to belong to me so… although I wish Kim Hyun-Joon belonged to me – heh. Some 'lines' have been extracted from the drama and used here to add that K-Drama nostalgic effect.

**Spoilers:** Bits and pieces – from all twenty episodes.

**---************---**

**Chapter One:**

**Stop. Rewind. Re-write.**

_**Three Months Later…**_

_Enough. It's enough... for now._

As she closed her eyes, drowning her senses to the smell and the feel of the flowers he had given her, Seon-Hwa smiled, contented.

She was a soldier, a fighter possessing skills not acquired by many. She would know from a distance if an enemy were approaching her, about to attack her... yet... and yet...

_Kim Hyun-Joon, you're the only one who had ever invaded my heart like this._

"Look at the state of that thing, Seon-Hwa. It's withering already. Are you not planning to throw it away?"

Seon-Hwa's head snapped up, turning to meet the gaze of that all-too-familiar voice.

"You have arrived, Sir," she bowed toward the nodding Park Chul-Young.

"It is truly the most dangerous place to attack, isn't it?"

She smiled weakly, aware of the implications of his cryptic words.

"I don't know what you mean by that, Sir," she stared at the parched petals on her table, sighing.

"I'm sure Kim Hyun-Joon does, and hence why he'd decided you'd be better off," Chul-Young ignored Seon-Hwa's pretense.

"Pardon?"

"Kim Hyun-Joon cares a lot about you, Seon-Hwa, and he doesn't want you to get hurt any more than you've already been because of him, physically or emotionally. So, I-"

_Kim Hyun-Joon…_

"Sir, please allow me to go to the South," Seon-Hwa interjected, her eyes pierced like burning metal against her superior's.

His expression turned from astonishment to concern.

"What's the matter?"

"Kim Hyun-Joon..." Seon-Hwa clenched her fists, her lips trembling.

_I won't let it Hyun-Joon-ssi… I won't let it…_

"What about him?" Chul-Young asked, shaking Seon-Hwa by the shoulder. "What about Kim Hyun-Joon? Seon-Hwa, answer me!"

"Sir… I think… Kim Hyun-Joon's life is still in grave danger."

**---************---**

**"**_**Don't try to look for them. They won't ever be coming back…"**_

Section Chief Park Sang-Hyun was swamped with paperwork behind his desk. He was attempting to organise next week's training preparation schedules for the new NSS employees.

He had draft pages circling him and when he'd erase something out of one, he would immediately curse and send the rest of the papers crashing to the floor.

"Aigoo.. How am I supposed to finish at this rate?!" Sang-Hyun muttered under his breath, "This is meant to be Team Leader Choi's work and not mine."

"Section Chief-"

"What? WHAT?" he screamed at the easily startled Hwang Tae-Sung.

"Sec-Section Chief… Ki-Kim… Seon-Hwa is on Line 3. She says it's urgent," Tae-Sung informed swiftly, leaving the room without waiting for the Section Chief's reply.

"Kim… Seon-Hwa...?"

With a quizzical brow, Section Chief Park picked up the receiver and greeted Kim Seon-Hwa with caution.

"…"

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you want to know where he is?"

"…"

"Not to say that this is just your paranoia playing with you because of all the things that you went through, Kim Seon-Hwa-ssi, but it is unlikely that IRIS is to strike soon after what happened..."

"..."

"To be honest, Kim Hyun-Joon and Choi Seung-Hee didn't tell me where they'd be living from now on."

"…"

"They left the NSS about a week ago. They only waited for their papers to be finalized and for their names to be cleared and they resigned."

"…"

"Yes. But Kim Seon-Hwa-ssi- I'll-"

But Kim Seon-Hwa had already dropped the line.

"-say to you what I said to everybody else. Don't try to look for them. They won't ever be coming back," he finished.

Park Sang-Hyun put back the receiver and sighed deeply. _It's really none of my business_, he thought, _but what's so surprising about Hyun-Joon being with Seung-Hee?_

He shook his head frantically and went back to his paperwork.

"Aigoo… whatever that might be about, I'm sure it won't mean anything…"

**---************---**

Seung-Hee's attention was caught by a crowd gathering at the road near the resort she and Hyun-Joon were staying at.

"What could that possibly be," she wondered, pouting slightly. "Must be a car accident or something..."

_I hope Hyun-Joon's not going to be stuck on that road. He should be getting back by now..._

Seung-Hee decided that she won't bother to check it out but within a couple of minutes, the number of on-lookers doubled and this got her even more curious.

She took her time walking to the scene. She could see a couple of police cars heading toward the area and surprisingly, more people arrived to pry.

When she finally made it, she stood behind the crowd and tiptoed peeking at the site. Much to her dismay, she only saw the heads of the passersby.

"Excuse me, excuse me," she politely said, snaking her way into the crowd.

Seung-Hee could finally see the policemen taking notes and holding evidence bags and flashing torches over a vehicle. It was definitely a car.

_So it _is_ a car accident_, she thought. _Where's the other car?_

The crowd in front of her continued to hover over the perimeter and with her height, she knew she wouldn't be able to see anything clearly so she decided to listen to the buzzes of the bees that flocked around her.

"It's a man," murmured the lady standing three people away from her left.

"The window was smashed, what the hell... how did that happen?" the man in front of her turned to his lady companion.

"Poor thing died on the stirring wheel," the lady replied to the man, shaking her head in shock.

Seung-Hee sighed, turning to make her exit from the pack when she heard a voice saying, "The name of this guy is Kim Hyun-Joon, sir."

"Pardon?" Seung-Hee asked out loud, bewildered by the words she processed.

"Miss, are you alright?" questioned the woman facing her.

Seung-Hee whirled on her spot so fast, asking, "What... who said... what is the guy's name?"

When everyone within her immediate circle stared at her, she knew that they didn't hear what she did so Choi Seung-Hee pushed them as if she was splitting a tide, repeatedly uttering her question.

"What did you say his..."

_Hyun-Joon's car._

"... name was...?"

_No._

_NO!_

"Miss, excuse me, this is a crime scene, you're not allowed to be here..."

"You're mistaken, aren't you? It's not Kim Hyun-Joon, right?"

As she was jostled and shoved to keep away by one of the policemen, she saw it. Over the policeman's shoulder, she saw it.

She saw _him_...

Seung-Hee heard the distant sound of an ambulance and heavier murmurings. She heard the continuous rambling of the police telling her to back off.

Seung-Hee heard the roar of the sea, splashing against the stoic rocks. She heard the faint noise of her iPod she had forgotten to turn off.

Seung-Hee heard every little noise around her, _everything_, except her own breaths.

Seung-Hee heard everything except the life of her heart.

"Hyun-Joon-ssi..."

Her knees wobbled, her feet aching to give out.

Her hands reached out, touching nothing, feeling nothing.

"Miss, are you alright? Do you know him?"

"Kim Hyun-Joon..."

_His eyes... his eyes..._

He was looking at her standing at that lighthouse.

"Hyun-Joon-ssi..."

Tears fell from his eyes.

"Kim Hyun-Joon..."

Blood trickled down his face and then… and then…

"HYUN-JOON-SSI!"

Her horrific scream echoed all over as she reached out for her _life_.

Keeping her out, she fought the police, repeating her screams, and using strength she never knew she had.

"HYUN-JOON-SSI, HYUN-JOON-SSI, HYUN-JOON-SSI, PLEASE… PLEASE… OH GOD, IT'S NOT REAL… NO… HYUN-JOON-SSI, PLEASE… PLEASE!"

_**"I don't know what to say or where to begin..."**_

_**"Hold me."**_

"Hyun-Joon-ssi, please… look at me. This is not real… It's not right so look at me. Hyun-Joon-ssi! I'm beg… I'm begging you…"

**"**_**As long as you're with me… you will be in danger. Go home."**_

**"**_**If you die, I'm going to die with you. I can't return home by myself." **_

"Please..."

_You cannot possibly put me through this again, Kim Hyun-Joon, please... don't._

"Sir, the ambulance just arrived."

"Tell them to take the body away."

"Yes, Sir, I understand."

"Miss, I suggest that the best thing for you to do is to identify the body at the morgue. I'm really sorry for your loss..."

"No..."

"I'm sorry, Miss, but you can't go near him just yet."

"I said _no_!"

Retaliating against the police who restrained her, she mustered all the strength she never knew she had.

"Let me go, let me go," Seung-Hee yelled, thrashing. "I told you to back off!"

"Miss, stop!" shouted the policeman, pushing her hard and fast onto the asphalt road.

_Why…_

She could only stare as the paramedics approached the car, wheeling the stretcher. She could only stare as, with gloves on, they lifted his lifeless form off his seat. She could only stare as they dragged him on his feet, placing him on the stretcher. She could only stare as they pulled the white cloth...

_Get up._

"Don't."

_Get up!_

"DON'T DO IT!"

Struggling, she stood up. She clutched her chest as she battled to make every step toward him.

"Don't… don't do it… please, you can't… don't…"

"Who are you?"

Blood was all Seung-Hee could see on Hyun-Joon's face.

She sobbed, trudging as she felt the cold metal of the stretcher against her bare hands. Quietly, she stroked Hyun-Joon's disarrayed hair. Her hands quaked as she caressed his cheek.

And tears...

Tears finally flowed uncontrollably from her eyes as she held him.

"Why... Hyun-Joon-ssi... what happened? Who did this to you?"

She closed her eyes and wept.

"You promised... we promised..."

_**"Why exactly are we leaving NSS?" she asked, jousting him away from his deep thoughts.**_

_**"What?"**_

_**"I asked you..." Seung-Hee smiled, "why we're leaving NSS."**_

_**"Aren't you suppose to be a smart person?" he chuckled.**_

_**"Aish~" Seung-Hee punched his arm.**_

_**"Aw! What I meant was, you already know why," Hyun-Joon laughed. "We're leaving NSS so we won't have to be involved with those kinds of incidents and tragedies anymore. So that we won't have to know about the hidden evil that lures in this world, and so that..."**_

_**Seung-Hee cocked a brow at Hyun-Joon who simply smiled.**_

_**"Aish~ Tell me, quickly!"**_

_**"If you threaten me again with those nasty slaps of yours then I won't tell you!"**_

_**"Ah, really! Oh, tell me now, quickly!"**_

_**"Fine, fine.**__**Aigoo... you're never contented with what you're given. You keep asking for the rest."**_

**"**_**Yeah, yeah, that's how I am. Got a problem with that?"**_

_**"Fine. The reason why I want us to leave NSS is so we can finally make that promise that other couples make."**_

_**"And what's that?"**_

_**"The promise to never leave each other again..."**_

"You said it, remember? We promised..."

"Miss, I'm sorry but we have to take him away."

"Hyun-Joon-ssi, you promised..."

"Hold her. Can someone hold her, please?"

"You, hold this lady so we can take the body away."

"HYUN-JOON-SSI!"

**---************---**

"I TOLD YOU TO DELETE THEM ALL, NOW DELETE THEM ALL!"

"Sir, I apologise. Please calm yourself."

"Just... delete them, Tae-Sung. As many as you can, as fast as you can."

"Yes, sir."

"They all need to be wiped out from every single media device and search engine everywhe-"

"Section Chief Park, Section Chief Park! Have you heard...?"

"Yes."

"But... how...?"

"I don't really know myself."

"Have you contacted Seung-Hee yet?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"What do you mean, 'why not?'"

"What do you mean by what I mean 'why not?' You know what I mean, punk."

"For obvious reasons, Chief Oh, I'm giving Seung-Hee some time to grieve and with the way that it hap-"

"The way that what happened? That's what you were going to say, right?"

"Forget it. Just go back to your office, Chief Oh."

"Leaving, punk. I'm going. Aigoo..."

"If Mi-Jung was here, she could have fixed all of this by now..."

"What are you muttering there, Tae-Sung?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Why do you have to bring up dead people in conversations for?"

"But, sir..."

"WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?"

"Why do we have to delete all information on Hyun-Joon Sunbae's death? Don't we want to find out who ambushed him?"

"Tae-Sunga."

"Yes, Section Chief?"

"You and I are the only two from NSS, aside from our Director, that know about this. Anything related to this subject must stay between you and me, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir, I understand."

"What we don't need right now are people, the public, the media, other government agencies, sticking their noses in over Hyun-Joon's horrific death. What we need right now is peace and some security for our investigators to move freely and safely while they study the incident and take due action. It's a terrible tragedy for all of us who knew him, and to Korea and the world for we just lost a great warrior. Kim Hyun-Joon is a hero and don't you forget that, boy. He saved your life and mine, many times over. Also, we don't want to impose another panic attack on our citizens telling to their faces that the man who saved thousands of lives just a few months ago was shot right after going into retirement."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, let's get back to work. Tell me the locations of the four people I asked you to track down..."

**---************---**

"Sir, it's me. It's done."

"..."

"I agree, sir. I'm glad you sought for me as soon as Vick was executed. It's pathetic how he wasn't able to serve you for a long time, sir."

"..."

"Yes, sir, I'm just waiting for the ambulance and police escort to move."

"..."

"Yes, I'm sure, sir, and I won't need back-up."

"..."

"I understand, sir. The second phase of your plan will be done."

**---************---**

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary:** IRIS is the one thing you cannot destroy, and it is the one thing you cannot hide and escape from… _alive_. Or is it? What if the ending everyone thought happened was not how things really went down?

_**Timeline: The story takes place post-Season 1 of IRIS.**_

_**I'm going to make it clear that if you did not watch the entire series or you are not aware of which characters are still living and which characters already passed away, you will find it hard to understand what's going on in the story. Also, this fiction is written in a TV episode-like format. **_**:)**

Please review my work since I'm the first to attempt writing for IRIS here at :) Enjoy!

I want to thank _**Sooji-ya**_, my Beta, for all her time and effort. Love you, girl!

**Disclaimer:** IRIS is too awesome to belong to me so… although I wish Kim Hyun-Joon belonged to me – heh. Some 'lines' have been extracted from the drama and used here to add that K-Drama nostalgic effect.

**Spoilers:** Bits and pieces – from all twenty episodes.

* * *

Chapter 2:

**In Silence, She Cries.**

_**"You said it, remember? We promised..."**_

_**"Miss, I'm sorry but we have to take him away."**_

_**"Hyun-Joon-ssi, you promised..."**_

_**"Hold her. Can someone hold her, please?"**_

_**"You, hold this lady so we can take the body away."**_

_**"HYUN-JOON-SSI!"**_

_Police cars. People. Stretcher. Kim Hyun-Joon's car. Broken car window. Ambulance. Choi Seung-Hee screaming and crying. White cloth over Hyun-Joon's bloody face..._

_"No!"_

She opened her eyes, as if to wake up from the nightmare she witnessed, and three words of concern ran through them.

_**Where are you? – **__Park Chul-Young_

She stared with contempt at the vibrating phone on her hand, tempted to throw it so it'd break. So it'd be useless.

Like her.

_Hyun-Joon-ssi_, she thought, _what's the point in holding on now? I couldn't even stop you from dying…_

She gripped her phone. Remembering the silences they shared, the wordless moments, the quiet tenderness, Seon-Hwa fought back the tears yearning to fall from her eyes.

Rubbing her eyes, she smiled - not because she was happy, but because she thought of what Hyun-Joon would have done or said at that moment.

He would have wiped away her tears.

Or he would have embraced her.

Or he would have thanked her.

She gazed at the rising, falling and swaying water of the fountain in front of her.

"Isn't it a little dramatic that out of all places, I chose to come here, Hyun-Joon-ssi?" she chuckled at herself.

"I like being nostalgic, that's why. You know, the first time... that you called me by my name? That was the time when my heart both imploded and exploded.

"It imploded from too much joy and exploded from a lot pain. The pain that reminds me constantly... of how alone I really am."

Seon-Hwa bit her lower lip, the tremor of her sadness striking her, weakening her. She clenched her fists and sobbed.

"Isn't this what I would always do, Hyun-Joon-ssi?" she asked, eyes pointing at her tensed knuckles. "I would always clench my fists. I'd clench my fists when I'm angry. I clenched them when I wanted to hang on to your arm. I clenched them when you hugged me. In sorrow and in jubilation, I trapped everything in these hands.

"Why couldn't I hug you back? Why did I just stand there unable to move? Now... no matter how much I wish for it, it would no longer happen. It can no longer happen…"

Tightly, she shut her eyes and listened to the faint rustling of the trees nearby, the gushing of the water streaming from the fountain and the Han River, and the footsteps of the man she knew too well.

"But... Hyun-Joon-ssi, why was it that we lived better in silence? Why was it that you and I understood one another better when we don't speak? And… and why was it that through those silences... I learned to love you more?

"But... isn't it unfair that now, that silence would no longer speak? That it'd no longer exist? Hyun-Joon-ssi... I'd rather die in chaos with you where we could share that silence no matter how convoluted, than to live in peace without you."

Slowly, she spread her hands on her lap. Seon-Hwa raised her voice, "Hyun-Joon-ssi, aren't I pathetic for crying like this when Choi Seung-Hee's the one who lost you?"

"Kim Seon-Hwa."

"But I don't think it's possible for me to be without you, Hyun-Joon-ssi!" she said even louder.

"Seon-Hwaya!"

"Hyun-Joon-ssi!" Seon-Hwa shrieked, writhing in tears and pain.

"Seon-Hwa, _enough_!" Park Chul-Young cried out, running to her side.

He put his arms around his subordinate, looking away at the sight of her weeping.

"Sir, I can't..."

"You can and you _will_," Chul-Young commanded. "If not for me, then do it for Kim Hyun-Joon."

"How can I possibly... what do I do now... I don't think I can..." Seon-Hwa muttered over and over, pulling the lapel of his coat.

"We owe it to Hyun-Joon to live, don't you realize that? All that has happened... aren't we desecrating his memories if we simply throw his efforts away? Seon-Hwa..."

In silence, Seon-Hwa continued to cry.

"I'm sorry, sir..."

"To live is indeed a struggle but only through that struggle can we continue to move forward. Endure everything, Seon-Hwa, for all is not lost," Park Chul-Young smiled, "You still have me, and you'll continue to have me... as long as you need me."

Despite the cold weather, warm moments fleeted between the two, remembering Kim Hyun-Joon and the place he had taken in each of their lives.

Seon-Hwa looked up, finally finding the courage to wipe her own tears.

"Hyun-Joon-ssi... would want me to stop crying now," she smiled weakly.

Chul-Young nodded. "It's time to find out the truth, Seon-Hwa. I'll expend my time and resources to help you with your initial plan."

"Thank you, sir. However, I'm afraid there would be some slight changes to our original plan. Please continue to guide me."

"Of course, you have my word," Chul-Young replied. "How do you plan to proceed?"

Seon-Hwa's tactical mind raced, calculating all probable scenarios and all possible subsequent actions she and Chul-Young would probably have to take.

"I'll need a team of at least a dozen men and weapons, lots of weapons. We need to intercept the ambulance carrying Kim Hyun-Joon."

**---************---**

"Sir."

"Oh, Tae-Sunga. What have you got for me?"

"Sir, Targets 1 and 2 are on the move. They have a convoy of at least three other cars with them."

"Are they armed?"

"From what I can see, sir, they are not but their movements for the past hour have been suspicious. Should I advise the support team, Section Chief?"

"No, there's no need. Let's see where they're headed first. What about Targets 3 and 4?"

"I'm still working on it, sir."

"Please search for them a little faster, Tae-Sung. We need to monitor all four. They're the only leads we have to finding out Kim Hyun-Joon's killer."

"Yes, Section Chief."

**---************---**

"It seems they're taking Kim Hyun-Joon's body downtown, sir."

"…"

"I don't think it'll be taken to NSS, sir. If it is, I'll do everything to stop it. I'll make sure to move swiftly, sir."

"…"

"I'm certain on who's on the hunt for me at this point but if they know my true identity or if there are more out there looking for me, which is right now very unlikely, they won't be able to catch me."

"…"

"Not cocky, sir. Just composed."

"…"

"Yes, Mr. Black. I understand."

**---************---**

"Everyone, gather up and listen," Park Chul-Young called out. "Now, first, has everyone loaded all firearms and artillery in all the cars?"

"Yes, sir," the soldiers clad in black and brown answered in unison.

"We cannot fail in this mission. You must all do your outmost to succeed. Your objective is clear and simple – _retrieve Kim Hyun-Joon's body_. Kim Seon-Hwa will be your Team Leader, Alpha, and Kang Young-Soo will be Bravo's. Maintain a zero to minimum casualties. Remember ladies and gentlemen that downtown Seoul will become vulnerable once again and the bloods of innocent lives are in your hands. Be careful. Most importantly, keep an eye out for any other suspicious vehicles tailing the target. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," chanted all fourteen soldiers, saluting Park Chul-Young.

_North Korea's finest are going into a mission that holds no guarantee over their own safety, their lives, and even over the success of this very mission_, thought Chul-Young. _What happens if they fail?_

"Bravo Team," pronounced a tall, well-built man. His long black hair was tied up. Nothing else seemed distinct about him except for the two remarkable scars on his face. One was located across his left eye. The other can be traced from the left side of his neck, a few centimeters below his ear, ending millimeters toward the side of his lips. His name was Kang Young-Soo. He was only half a decade older than Kim Seon-Hwa but he was certainly centuries ahead of her with his experiences as one of North Korea's National Guards.

"Our mission is to assist the Alpha Team. We need to be their eyes, ears, and their extra hands if things don't go smoothly. Do not leave any traces behind and keep in mind that we might not be the only party interested in retrieving Kim Hyun-Joon's body. Understand?"

"Yes, Team Leader Kang."

Kim Seon-Hwa stepped next to Kang Young-Soo and prepared both teams.

"Bravo, you can head outside. Remain on standby until told."

"Yes, Team Leader Kim."

She turned to her elite six when Kang's team exited the room, and spoke to them quietly, "Alpha Team, I cannot stress enough the sensitivity and dangerousness of this mission. Mind your surroundings at all times. Everyone else outside this team is a _potential civilian-potential casualty-potential enemy_. Yes, that also applies for the Bravo Team."

Kim Seon-Hwa stood with confidence, her bulletproof suit on, handguns loaded at every pocket. She watched her team absorb her order and sensed that someone would raise a question.

"Yes?"

"But… Team Leader… Team Leader Kang Young-Soo's team…"

"…is the best in North Korea? Yes, it is. But you all surpass them in defensive fighting and tactical planning and formulations. Utilize it."

Her six men nervously nodded.

"Only if you need to use it, of course," she smirked. "Alpha Team, let's move out!"

**---************---**

"Section Chief, Targets 1 and 2 have split up. And as for their convoys, they seem to have disappeared."

"What?!"

"I don't know what happened, sir. An hour ago, they were all using black motor vehicles, and now only one car remains black."

"Scan the area, two, three blocks behind that black car. Follow anything strange. They're really clever, these people."

"Sir, do you think they know that we're on to them?"

"Maybe, but we're not the enemy and they know that."

"Do you think they've… do you think maybe they could have done it?"

"Done what? You crazy punk, that seems really unlikely. Just find the other cars, quickly!"

"Aish~ I'm just saying my own theories out loud. No need to yell at me…"

**---************---**

"We're now entering the highway," informed Alpha's driver, Park Du-Ho. "Team Leader Kim…?"

"_**If it weren't for you, I would have never made it to this point. Thank you for being with me. Seon-Hwaya."**_

_Hyun-Joon-ssi, I'll fight for you._

Seon-Hwa weakly smiled, recalling Kim Hyun-Joon's words.

"_**Don't try so hard for me anymore."**_

_Hyun-Joon-ssi, would you have wanted things to turn out like this?_

A tear splashed her knuckles and Seon-Hwa realised she was no longer afraid.

She was no longer afraid to put her life on the line, no longer afraid to die.

Because it's worth dying for.

_Love_ is worth dying for.

"Team Leader, are you alright?" Du-Ho asked, glancing at her from his rear-view mirror.

Kim Seon-Hwa nodded with a smile on her face.

"I'm fine, Du-Ho, don't mind me," she said, her tone reassuring. "What is Bravo's posi-"

A resounding gunshot interrupted Seon-Hwa's question and Du-Ho started losing control of the stirring wheel. He stepped on the brakes, sending their tires screeching.

"Du-Ho, drive!" Seon-Hwa yelled at the dumbfounded Du-Ho. "Du-Ho!"

"But Team Leader, one of the tires…"

"GET THE CAR AWAY FROM HERE, WE'RE TARGETS! DO YOU WANT TO DIE?"

Du-Ho frantically shook his head, stepping on the accelerator, sending their car soaring.

The minutes that followed became a big blur to Seon-Hwa as her senses panicked, her team members screamed, asked for orders and instructions, voicing out their concerns. She shouted for them to put their seat belts on, to scan the surroundings for who's suspiciously following them.

"Anything?"

"Nothing, Team Leader. There's no one behind us but it's really dark out there now. Where could they possib-"

A couple more shots were fired. Their vehicle involuntarily spun around as Seon-Hwa realised that the twin shots, this time, were aimed at Du-Ho.

"Du-Ho!"

Du-Ho was shot in the head and on the neck, his hold of the wheel, lost.

"Dong-Juna, take the wheel, and brake. BRAKE!"

At their speed, Dong-Juna failed to turn the wheel and decelerate on time, launching their vehicle against three other cars, propelling onto and revolving in mid-air, landing atop two civilian cars.

_If this is my demise, Hyun-Joon-ssi, I'm gladly accepting it. I want to be by your side again…_

Kim Seon-Hwa closed her eyes as she smelled, felt, and tasted blood all around her.

**---************---**

"Section Chief."

"What is it? What's happened?"

"Nothing's showing up on the CCTV screens, sir, but..."

"But?"

"Sir, I think Target 1: Kim Seon-Hwa… is _dead_."


End file.
